Amaggio

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Hi everyone, I'm looking into getting some Angora rabbits and want to keep them inside. I have two cats and a dog (Teddy Bear Shih Tzu), so basically the cats are bigger than the dog. They're all really good with animals as I have raised several sets of chicks and ducklings around them without an issue. My one cat is terrified of anything that moves, so she's no threat, but my other cat is curious about everything and I'm a little worried about leaving her around the rabbits. She's never attacked any of my ducklings, and I let them roam freely in my room once a day, but I feel like a rabbit is a lot more defenseless. At least my ducklings will snap at her and chicks will peck her discouraging the cat from getting closer. Rabbits though, I think she'll get comfortable getting too close because they won't do anything to discourage her. I've been thinking of introducing them by feeding the cat and rabbits in the same area for a while so that they learn to get along. This works with other animals but I'm new to rabbits and not sure if this is even a viable idea.

Also, my dog is a barker when there's new people/noises around. It doesn't happen often because we live in the country on a private road but what's the best way to comfort rabbits with that type of noise? I heard having a hiding hole in their cage helps them feel protected but is their more I could do? The little dog loves animals and is very protective of little creatures. When I let the ducklings roam my room she'll lay between the cat and the ducklings to make sure nothing happens and if the cat gets too close she'll actually body block the cat. It's super cute. Don't get me wrong the dog's a stinker with a stubborn streak but with little animals she's amazingly protective.
 

Baymule

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Will the rabbits be put up when you are gone to keep them safe? The cat will probably be ok with them, just take some time to let the cat know that the rabbits are yours and train her to them.
 

Amaggio

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I'm still looking through designs of indoor rabbit hutches but I really liked this one that had their cages up top with a little ramp downstairs. We have room to put a little play area in front of their hutch so that they can run around without us worrying about them eating the wood edging when we're not looking. Someone is always home but since I'm new to rabbit I want to try and give them the best possible little home. So, yes, my current plan is to have a safe enclosed area for them to be locked up but also have a much larger area that's open inside where they can spend most of their time.
 

breegull

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What size Angoras do you plan on getting? I'm only familiar with the big French Angoras. If you're getting big buns, I'd recommend just housing them on the floor, enclosed by an ex-pen if needed.

I have 2 house rabbits that are ~12lbs (Flemish Giants). They like to stretch out when lounging, so all their stuff needs to be much larger than any rabbit-specific stuff I could buy at a store. Their litter box is a large 2'x3' cement mixing tub. Their hiding den and lounging balcony are the bottom two shelves of one of those pantry shelving units made from untreated wood slats. Their "cage" is a ~4'x8' area enclosed by a 54" ex-pen. (Well, actually, now I just give them free run of the rabbit-proofed room without the ex-pen.)

I don't have cat experience, but my dog is cat-sized with zero prey-drive, and they all get along fine.

I think the biggest issue you might run into with a cat, is making sure the cat can't get to the bunny litter box to poop in it. (Not all cats do this, but some will).
 
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